Deepawali: Festival Of Lights

Only few days left for Diwali. I know all of you are verrrrrrry excited. M i right guys??
So lets keep our fingers crossed that some stupid cyclone like Phailin doesn't spoil our Diwali the way it devastated our Durga Puja and Dusehra holidays.

Diwali or Deepawali is one of the most widely celebrated festival in India.  Usually Deepawali is celebrated on the Amavasya, or the "no-moon day".  Amavasya is considered as the perfect day for Deepavali. Amavasya in the Hindu month of Kartik (October/November) marks this festive occasion. But in many parts of India Deepawali is celebrated for five consecutive days, with the third day being celebrated as Deepawali day.  People light diyas, or oil lamps, or sometimes candles all around their house.  Lakshmi puja is performed in the evening to seek divine blessings of Goddess of wealth.  In West Bengal same day Goddess kali is worshipped.  They celebrate Kali Puja.

The word Deepawali comes from sanskrit.  Deepavali means ''Rows of Lamps'' or Array Of Lamps. It signifies the triumph of good over evil and light over dark.  Dark and light both are equally integral for the festival of lights Deepavali. Without darkness there is no value of light. ''Darkness'' stands for fear, perhaps of evils, sadness, depression and all about negativeness and which is not good. Whereas ''light'' signifies hope, joy, clarity, everything about positiveness as well goodness.

Do you know why we celebrate Diwali??  What is the reason behind it?? First it was celebrated when Shree Ram along with Sita and Lakshman returned from 14 years exile and vanquishing the Demon-King Ravana. The people of Ayodhya celebrated this day by illuminating the kingdom with earthen diyas and bursting fire crackers.  On this auspicious day we decorate our homes with earthen diyas, candles and colorful lights. During this festival different types of sweets and snacks are made at our homes and shared with friends, family and neighbours. Many businessmen consider Deepawali as the 1st day of their financial year.

One of my friend's mother told me how they celebrate 5 days in Deepawali.  Being a bengali we know Kali puja only we celebrate that paricular day but my friend is a marwari so I came to know a lot from her mother.  As I said Deepawali is actually celebrated 5 days.  first day is called 'Dhanteras'which falls on the thirteenth day of the month of Ashwin.  Dhan means wealth.  Hindus believe this day to be auspicious so they purchase some gold or silver or atleast one or two new utensils.  The second day is called 'Narkachaturdashi' or 'Choti Deepavali' which falls on the fourteenth day of the month of Ashwin. This day therefore is dedicated to lights and prayers prefiguring a future full of joy and laughter. The third day is the main day of the festival which sees colors of firecrafkers, lighting of lamps, delicious sweets and new clothes.  This is the day when the Sun enters his second course and passes Libra constellation (Nakshtra) which is represented by the balance or scale. Hence, this design of Libra is believed to have suggested the balancing of account books and their closing. Despite the fact that this day falls on an Amavasya (dark night) it is regarded as the most auspicious.  The fourth day of Deepawali is celebrated in differnet ways in the various parts of India.  In northern part of India its Govardhan Puja, in western part like Maharashtra and all same is celebrated as Padva or bali Prativpada.

Craftsgarner Team is wishing you and all your family members a very Happy Deepawali. If Chosing gifts for all your loved ones is over, now gift your house the beauty and splendor that comes with Diwali decorations.  There is nothing captivating as the sight of a beautifully decorated house to add to the festive ardour.

Buy some beautiful home decor items for diwali like Shubh Labh Swastik Laxmi Ganesh wall hangings, Shubh Labh Ridhhi sidhhi Kumbh wall hangings and statues of Lord Ganesh and many more. Few gift options from Craftsgarner.

 
   

Craftsgarner Wishing You All A Very Happy Ganesh Chaturthi

 

 Vakratu.nDa Mahaakaaya Kotisuuryasamaprabha |
nirvighnaM kuru me deva sarvakaaryeshhu sarvadaa ||

It means O God Ganesha!(large bodied with a large belly), radiant as millions of suns,
 Please remove obstacles in all of my tasks all the time..

According to Hindu Mythology before starting any Puja or Homam, it is must to first
 worship LordGanesha. It is believe that if we worshiped Lord Ganesha one can easily
overcome the difficulties of life if he is blessed by Lord Ganesha.
At least once in a year we should perform Ganesh Puja in our
 home. It brings prosperity, health, wealth, and also bring peace in our mind. You can
perform in all auspicious occasions.It necessary to seek Ganapati's blessingbefore starting
any new venture. An important event like wedding is also not complete without his bless.
With the support of Lord Ganapati we can overcome miserable situations in our life.
           
                       
A first look at Lord Ganesha from a modern prospective appears shocking and absurd...
How can one possibly have an elephant's head on a human;s torso ??? Even a baby elephant's
head will never fit a human neck. Then why did our ancestors choose this eccentric combination???
There is a quite interesting story behind it... Eager to know??? ok...
It is said that Ganesh was created by Parvati out of her sandalwood paste that she used for her bath.
One day while she bathed she stand him at her door to guard. When Lord Shiva returned and tried to enter there, Ganesha didn't allow him because he didn't know his father.It enraged Lord Shiva and
asked his follower ghosts to teach him manners. Ganesh was very powerful. Being born of Parvati,
he was the embodiment of  Shakti. He defeated  not only followers but  all sages of heaven, Narada, along with Saptarshi. Even Indra the King of Bieties was not spared.
Ganesh declared nobody was allowed to enter while his mother was bathing. Amidst the fighting Lord Shiva
 severed the head of the child.When Parvati came to know this she took the form of ADI SHAKTI and
 vowed to destroy the universe where her son was killed. Having seen this Lord Shiva promised her to
 give a new life to her son. Then he fixed the head of the baby Elephant in the place of Ganesha's head.
In this way he came to be depicted as elephant Headed God.

  There are many famous temples in India. OH!! sorry not only in India but also in Abroad..Ganesha is worshiped throughout the world. Some of the temples are :-

                        * Lakkasandra      -  Banglore
                        * Ganapati Agraharam  - Tamil Nadu
                        * Ashtavinaya  - Pune
                        * Karpaka Vinayak Temple - Madurai
                        *Sharavu Ucchi Pillaya Temple - Tamil Nadu
                        * Sri Siddhi Vinayak Temple - Maharastra
                        *Sellakatharagama Ganesh Temple - Sri Lanka
                        * Vinayagar Temple - Jaffna, Srilanka
                        * Richmond Hill Ganesha Temple - Canada
                        * Muthu Vinayakar Temple - Canada
                        * Sri Shakthy Ganapati Temple - U.K
                        * Nashville Ganapati Temple - U.S.A
                        * Sri Layan Siddhi - Singapore

Do you know??? There are 108 names of Lord Ganesha according to Hindu Mythology.
Every name has its specific meanings.. Just have a look..
 
                        * Avaneesh           - God of the world
                        * Avighna             - 'Vighna' means Disruption so Avighna means remover of disruption
                                                        and obstacle from our life.
                        * Balaganapati      - Lovable Child
                        * Bhupati              - Lord of the Gods
                        * Buddhipriya       - Having Knowledge
                        * Chaturbhuj        - Having four arms
                        * Ganapati           - Lord of all Ganas(God)
                        * Heramba           - Mother's Lovable son
                        * Lambodaraya    - The huge bellied Lord
                        * Vishwaraja        - King of the whole world

Children are mostly fond of Bal Ganesha. His statues are
 found in various style . Sometimes he gets the appearance of
a writer or sometime like Gandhiji. He

stand with his chari (stick).Modak is beleived
to be his favourite food.It have a special importance
 in the worship of God Ganesh. During
 Ganesh Chaturthi 21 modaks are offered to him as Prashad.
Ganesh Chaturthi is the most important festival in Maharashtra
which is celebrated for 10 days.Ganesh is the most respected God
 in Maharastra.

           There are also some movies and famous songs dedicated to Ganesha like Bal Ganesha, My Friend
            Ganesha, Bal ganesha-2, Vinayaka Chavithi (Telgu movie), Sri Vinayaka Vijayam(Telgu movie)...
            Some songs are : -
                                          * Jai Jai ganesha - Jai Chiranjeeva
                                          * Dandaalayaa Undraalayya - Coolie no 1
                                          * Vaataapi Ganapatim - Vinayak Chavithi
                                          * Deva Sri Ganesha - Agneepath
                                          * Tera Hi Jalwa - Wanted 

  Craftsgarner wishing you all a very happy Ganesh Chaturthi. In this auspicious day lets pray peace,
purity and prosperity for everyone. Regardless of a religion, caste, or nationality. May his blessings
shower us with happiness and an unconditional love..

Guruve Devo Namah: Happy Teachers Day To All Of You

There are many special days like Friendship Day, Children's Day, Parent's Day, Mother's Day  and many more...Teacher's Day is one of them.This is also an important day for us like all other  special days. This special day is celebrated on 5th of September every year in our country. This is the birth day of Dr. Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan, late President of our country.  He was an outstanding scholar and teacher.

Do you know why we celebrate this day??? Yes. absolutely right!!This day is celebrated to honour             the teachers of our country. The teachers are regarded as the backbone of our society. They build the future citizens of our country. They teaches student carefully and sincerely. In ancient period also Guru behaved their pupils as members of their family. There was perfect harmony between them.  There relation was based on pure love and free from all selfish intention.  Nothing has changed still teacher love students as their children and treat them as parents and also inspire fills confidence and trust among his pupils and imparting knowledge very diligently.

A student gets new life when get education from the teacher.Yes it is true that one's mother brings to the world while the teacher teaches one how to adjust oneself in the world. They builds up our characters and mould us into a man in society. For our bright future most of the credit also goes to our teacher.Their importance in our life is immense. So on the Teacher's Day teacher are honored through various function throughout the country especially in schools. The government also shows them respects by giving them different civilian awards. Thus is the day when the teachers feel proud and encouraged.On the other hand  the student should follow the advice of their teachers which is the right way to show them respect.

In our school there is an amazing culture, on this day 12th Standard students get a chance to live a day like Teacher.  Students have to take classes and the Teachers enjoy their day sitting in the staff room they dont have to go for classes.  All 12th standard students attend respective periods of respective teacher which he or she is acting like.  Then in the second half that is after recess time functions were organized like dance,songs,skits and mimicry of some teachers followed by small tea party. 

CraftsGarner Team wishing you all a very Happy Teacher's Day. Check out few gift options for your favourite teacher.  Beautiful Pen Stand and Paper weights made of Teracotta and Dhokra.

Process Of Teracotta: How teracotta products are made?

We have already focused on the terracotta clay that it is a type of unglazed ceramic material
which is used in making various types of decorating arts,biding construction,sculptures,accessories etc., and also about its history and its availability where it has been found. There are also some temples made up of terracotta clay,which are very well known to us like Anayaar horse in Tamil Nadu ,finnest patterns of terracotta panels found in West Bengal specially Digha, Hoogly,Birbhum,and Murshidabad . some more temples in Bishnupur like Rasmancha ,Madan Mohan and Shyamrai....

 When we see all these arts or any teracotta products like sculptures, accessories,various designer potteries, jeweleries... the first thing that pings on our mind that how these are made?? and by whom?? These are made by artisans. Artisans(a skilled worker who makes things by hand) involves in such arts of pottery making,making of jeweleries ,construction of buildings etc.. You can say it is the magic and amazing power of their hands.

These are made through different processes by some specific artisans.  Generally these are reddish- brown in color and sometimes it varies depending on the process of making. Terracotta are produced  by soaking the mud for few days then it is used as per requisite and dried in the sun. After that these are baked in pit fire and left beneath sand to cool. These are baked at a place called Kiln. Its a thermal insulating chamber which is used to harden and dry the mud products.

Some terracotta products are Black in color which is used to create the terracotta products and it is believed to the best one by traditional potter.  Such clays need little filtering and retains much moisture in its original state. Water is added  and left few days. Feet and hands both are used to knead the clay.  Pots, jars, and lamps are still used in many households.  Once the image is completed, it is set to dry. 

Generally ''Yellow Earth'' is used to mould the terracotta warriors and horses. Yellow Earth is  very easy to obtain. Due to its adhesive quality and plasticity it is considered as a appropriate  material. By the  pocess of screening and grinding impurities are removed and make it pure and fine.

The elasticity of clay allows to be moulded in requisite shape.  There are numerous designs and pellets are stung together to make fragile pieces of  ornamentation. If properly  paired with appopriate kind of
cotton sarees these jewelleries appears very fashionable.  Sorrrrry after all we girls love to relate everything with fashion.  But believe me it does look beautiful and trendy as well.  Check out various Teracotta Products in our Regional Brands section.

These are truly original brands of India.

Radio : A World Of Imagination

Anticipation of our childhood with the festive season knocking..........
Just before 7days of Durga puja we bengalees worship our ancestors on an auspicious day of Mahalaya.  In this festival Goddess Durga and her children are worshipped.  She holds weapons in her ten hands and is seen killing the demon. It symbolises the victory of good over evil. A gay and festival mood is noticed everywhere. People are seen in new clothes and look very jubilant and elated. In this great festival we bengalees also gives gifts to our relatives and friends like dresses, accessories, statues and sculptures of  Goddess Durga and many more special gifts.  Every year just before the night of Mahalaya ,my mother used to make sure that our radio is in condition and its battery is fully charged.so hat we can perceive those holy shlokas of Mahalaya on radio and that special  box which is the memory of every person. 

                            Well, it has been almost 112 years that an Italian Scientist Marconi gave us the most wonderful gift-Radio.  Usually radio is considered as a medium of entertainment but some time it is more than that. It has lots of things to offer like musics,plays,news, weather reports etc.. The charm of running commentary of cricket and football matches is unparallel. Ignorant people can learn alot about the rules of health and sanitation from the radio.  It acts as a teacher especially in rural areas.

But today one may ask about the relevance of radio in this technologically advanced world.  Is this true that somewhere its existence or its value has lost due to all these televisions and advanced internet connection??? If you ask me?? Then I will say its my best friend forever ..Do you know why?? Its very simple as Abc..it gives me the splendid company when i feel deserted and bore. Today it has come in the form of F.M. Actually  the fascination of radio will never achromatic away.  After all this is the only medium where we get the opportunity to imagine .Its like a world of imagination because we can fabricate the world that we exactly hear.   I know many of you don't like the idea of listening radio but one of the India's most famous oral storyteller Neelesh Mishra came up with a special idea of audio blogs, where he narrates the story of a world of imagination with title Yaad Sheher.   I hope all those net savvy people who are obsessed with hitting keyboards will like this.
   

             
        So in brief Radio can be described as a magnificent world that has music, education and most     important- Imagination.    And this post is to show my respect to the great Scientist Marconi and celebrate Radio Day...yes Radio Day many of us don't know that 20th August is celebrated as Radio Day.  Comment us how you are going to celebrate a day like Radio Day.  Ofcourse I know none of us will do, but just for fun if you are given a task to celebrate Radio Day, how you are gonna do?   

How To Make Gifts For Parent's Day

A sudden realisation that its mother or fathers or collectively Parents Day and you forgot to get a present for them.  There is no need to worry and panic your blood and brain tissues, just be calm don't panic here's a quick solution. Stay calm and think clearly about your parents interests and hobbies etc. 

    
You can make a homemade present for them. 

Grab some paper, markers, pencil, colors and ideas.  Yes IDEAS ideas is the main ingredient of this gift.  

Cut the papers into four equal parts. 

Make coupons with those papers. 

Write things like night out for the couple,  a movie night and pick one your parents' favourites, sleeping in with breakfast in bed,  a picnic for parents and and the list goes on try to write things your parents will like.

Draw colorful pictures on the papers or just do border patterns if your running out of time. 

Pack those coupons of ideas in a box and ask them to select one or two.

And thats how you can celebrate parents day even without a gift.  Tell them its your best.  They will definately like your thoughtful gesture.

The above idea was for those who are not prepared for or forgot to plan properly because of their work load and busy schedule.  Gifts have its own importance, in any event gifts have an important role to play.  We have few gift ideas for your parents.  You can plan a tour for the couple to a place where they wanted to visit but could not make it due to various reasons.  Buy them books or novels on their favourite subjects.  Recently I saw a commercial from Titan set of wrist watches for both sex and last but not least cards and flowers you can forget them but cant ignore them on any event, they are always popular for any occassion.

You can also plan individual gifts for them.  If your father or mother is avid book lover, you can opt for books on various topics like fiction, travelling, literature etc.  If any of them are music lover gift them music CDs ranging from pop, jazz, instrumental, movie songs and classics.  Most mothers would like home appliances like microwave, cookery set, vacuum cleaner etc.  You can also gift her home decor items, fashion accessories, some ethnic jewelry or pets.  For your father you can plan ashtray, paper weight or pen stand for his study/work table.





Remember one thing whatever you gift your parents its not the cost or value they care about they bother about that worthy thoughtful gesture. 

Craftsgarner Wishes Happy Parents Day

We’ve all heard about Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, but what about celebrating both on a single day, yes Parents Day what about celebrating Parents Day?  Just one week left, Parents' Day is celebrated every year on the fourth Sunday of July.  This year Parents Day is on July 28th, 2013.  It is a time to honor parents for the hard work they do of raising the next generation.  On Parents' Day, people are encouraged to recognize the important contributions of their responsible and committed parents in their communities. It's also a day for parents to celebrate their children and their family as a whole.

Going back to History:

Parent's Day was officially established in 1994 with the sincere efforts of the then US President Bill Clinton. He felt that despite having a Father's Day and a Mother's Day that honored fathers and mothers individually, there should be a special day to appreciate the efforts of both parents collectively because raising children in a proper way requires the presence and combined endeavor of both parents.  The bill was introduced by Republican Senator Trent Lott. It was supported by members of the Unification Church which also celebrates a holiday called Parents' Day, although on a different date. 
  
Today, Parents' Day is observed annually on the fourth Sunday of every July. It is also celebrated in many other countries such as the Republic of Korea, Vietnam and India. Irrespective of where it is held, it is an occasion for children to express their gratitude and appreciation for parents and acknowledge their untiring efforts in bringing them up. 

Celerating Parents day is relatively new but within few years of time it has become popular like any other special days.  Even recently from 2011 European countries have also started observing the day.  They celebrate in May.  Marcel De Baukeleer, general secretary of Parent’s Network Flanders vzw is the man responsible to bring the custom into existence in Europe.

"Parents' Day is an opportunity for our society to honor the very tough and critically important job that every parent does every day: raise the next generation of citizens," Markham says. With that in mind, make this Parents' Day an important occasion for the adults and children in your home.

Check out some Gifting Options for your Parents:-

HAPPY PARENTS DAY

With Love

Team CraftsGarner

Regional Brands Of India: TERRACOTTA

What is Brand?
As per dictionary brand is some thing which indicates kind.  When we think of brand products like branded clothes or branded shoes many images float in front of us Reebok, Gucci, Raymond and many more there is no end to the list.  In India there is so much diversity in its culture and handicrafts that each and every region have their own style and kind or we can say BRAND.  Through this blog I would try to list and share about different regional brands of India and to start with here is a famous brand "Teracotta".

Terracotta is a type of an earthen ware and a ceramic clay which is unglazed.  The colour's of terracotta varies with the source of the clay.  It is one of the cheapest and lightest clay.  It has been used in construction of buildings, decorative arts, potteries etc. since from ancient times. The term Terracotta literally means "Baked earth" which is made from natural clay.  Generally it is reddish brown in color and it also varies slightly that is depending on the clay used.

It was the only ceramic clay which has been used throughout history for sculptures and pottery as well as bricks and roof shingles.  In ancient time the sculptures which were made in 1st day were dried in the sun.  It could be used by craftsmen to make jewelleries, sculptures, spiritual accessories and many more things.

Some of the terracotta clay were found along the River Nile,some were from the Indian sub-continent.  Terracotta were also used in household utilities like the tiles for roof, kitchenware, lamps etc. and other decorative purposes. Terracotta works found from the Malla Period (1200-1769) were mostly molded to cover homes, temples. Some idols of Gods,Goddesses,animals and showpieces of different forms were also made.  Terracotta arts has been successful since the time of Indus Valley Civilisation.  Many of ritualistic aspects are also related with the Terracotta figures.

In India Terracotta is considered as a Mystical because it consists of five essential elements like air, fire, earth, water and ether.  In Rajasthan the Plaques depicting images, in Gujrat various types of horses and tigers are recorded which are very famous.  In West Bengal the finest patterns of Terracotta pannels are found in Murshidabad, Birbhum, Hooghly and Digha.  Bishnupur is one of the most famous place in West Bengal, India where Terracotta is found.  In Bishnupur the main attraction is Terracotta Temples.  All the temples are dedicated to Lord Krishna and Radha like Rasmancha, MadanMohan, Shyamrai and Jorbangla.  Beautiful teracotta work can be seen on these temples.

You can buy beautiful teracotta works from CraftsGarner collected from the artisans of Bishnupur.  There are many villages near and around Bishnupur where this teracotta work is done. Still the artisans in Bishnupur use the same conventional process to make beautiful masterpieces. So i hope u njoyed reading this. We'll be back with some more intresting posts on different Regional Brands of our lovely India.  Keep following us!

What is Handicrafts?

Handicrafts word literally means or expressed as artisanal handicrafts.  Handicrafts is any type of work where useful and decorative objects are made completely by hand or by using only simple tools. It includes a wide range of  creative and design activities.  It includes work with textiles, mouldable and rigid materials, paper, plant fibres, soil and the list goes on.

 
      India is so rich as well as  diverse in its culture.  There are so many different languages and traditions in India.  Every region has their own rituals and traditions.  Those traditional approach shows in their work also.  Their traditional techniques of creating items whether they made it for personal use or as products both are practical and aesthetic. These artisans use natural, even entirely indegenous, materials while few prefer modern, non-taditional materials, and even upcycle industrial materials for the artwork.

       Actual handicraft artisanship products are those which are made individually not by mass production or machines.  But now handicrafts industry is like any other sector with lot of potential for employment and economical importance.  Indian handicrafts industry is highly labour intensive cottage based industry and decentralized, being spread all over the country in rural and urban areas. Numerous artisans are engaged in crafts work on part-time as well as full-time basis.  Most of the artisans  are women  and people belonging to the weaker sections of the society.  This sector is economically important from the point of low capital investment, high ratio of value addition, and high potential for export and foreign exchange earnings for the country.

      Handicrafts are classified in categories like, Articles of everyday use and decorative items.  Although exports of handicrafts appear to be sizeable, India's share in world imports is miniscule.  It is a sector that is still not completely explored from the point of view of hidden potential areas. Craftsgarner is sincerely attempting to explore all those hidden areas and give them a platform to showcase their artworks. Ofcourse it is not as easy as hitting the keyboard, still an approach is what matters most.     

CraftsGarner: Treasure House Of Indian Handicrafts

CRAFTSGARNER.COM is an online “Treasure house of Indian Handicrafts” housing Handmade, Vintage, Ethnic, Organic and Natural products from India. This is our official blog.  Where we will try to text all our experiences and knowledge we will be gathering.   Craftsgarner is trying to deal directly with the artisans of different regions of India. 

India is a beautiful array of diversity reflected in our Clothing, Food, Lifestyle, Language, Music, Books and the list goes on. This diversity is so rich and diverse that an attempt to capture it on a single platform is just an impossible task. CraftsGarner.com is that sincere attempt by us. 

CraftsGarner.com uses a shopping model to capture the regional variations of India. We connect local artisans & designers directly to global customers and thereby giving them an exposure to the global market and increase their livelihood, remove middlemen, help them create or promote their brand and thereby preserve our culture, traditions and values. Not only the artisans we are also trying to help customers discover and buy products which they otherwise are not able to reach. It offers a fabulous range of products, most of which stand for their exclusivity and brilliance. Only place where you can explore and select ethnic Indian handicrafts with just a click of mouse. It aims at providing encouragement to the needy artists from all over the country in order to sustain and preserve the rich heritage of India. In the language of army we can say a fire team of CraftsGarner directly meet the artisans and collect their exclusive works. We ensure that visitors get to buy authentic wares at prices that have not been inflated by high maintenance costs. 

Delighting you is our motto. Please write to us directly if you have any feedback, questions, concerns or suggestions.  And keep visiting this page for more posts.